Something unexpected
by kattininikini
Summary: Lucy can feel that something is not right - is it the new case or something else?
1. Something unexpected this way comes

First to say - I don't own anything and all rights go to Jonathan Stroud. Second - English is not my mother tongue so please no hate if you find any grammar mistakes - I will try to fix them if I see them. As for the story - it is something that came to mind after I read the book. :) Hope you enjoy.

The house was quiet. George and Lockwood were already sleeping and each dreamt of his own imagined world. Lucy however couldn't sleep. She tossed and turned but sleep just would not come. Something was bothering her. It had been a week since they had solved the Annie Ward case but Lucy had the feeling that there was still a tiny detail missing. As if the puzzle was left unfinished even though the murderer was punished for his deed.  
"I am forgetting something." murmured Lucy before she turned again.  
"Or someone…" said a quiet voice.  
Lucy shot up in an instant. She looked around frantically looking for the source but there was nothing there. She tried to listened but the only noise that she heard was the faint whisper of the wind that blew gently outside. It took her a few minutes to calm down, eventually Lucy decided that her mind was playing tricks on her and that there was no reason to freak out. She made another attempt to fall asleep and this time she had luck because she soon drifted off.

"I hope everyone got enough sleep last night" said Lockwood the next morning as he strolled grinning in the kitchen.  
George made a noise that sounded like he was confirming, Lucy just nodded although she didn't quite feel well rested.  
"Wonderful! Because I just got a call from a potential client – a Mister Berking, and I have a feeling it's going to be good! " Lockwood looked way too excited for Lucy's taste, which was rather unusual because the prospect of a job always excited her.  
Lucy spent the whole day feeling tired and nervous. The meeting with Mr. Berking went well – they got the job and George even managed to make a fast research about the case. He had a theory that the Visitor, haunting Mr. Berking's house, was a weak Type One – at least that is what he concluded after analyzing their clients complains. Lockwood decided that that was enough information to organize the operation that very day and be done with it as fast as possible.  
"Why not tomorrow night? We still don't know anything about the house and a few theories of what we might find there. "Might" being the keyword here!" Lucy didn't feel in shape to battle any ghosts at the moment, of course there was no chance in hell she was going to admit that out load.  
"Because it's a simple job – there is no need to postpone the matter. And since when did you start to care so much about the research part of the job? " Lockwood was already packing the necessary equipment in the kitchen, while George was drawing a map of the house and marking key spots.  
"How do you know it's going to be simple? And for the record even though I don't find it fun and interesting, I believe that research is more than important!" Lucy heard a sarcastic t laugh from George which she ignored – it wasn't the time nor the place to start a quarrel with her colleague even though he was just begging for it.  
"If you are not feeling up for the challenge than you can sit this one out. I am sure that George and I can handle the problem alone." Lockwood raised his eyebrows teasingly. Lucy huffed in annoyance and murmured something about stubbornness before she walked out of the room to get ready.  
She stopped in the middle of the corridor after she heard a soft snickering. She turned fast, weapon ready, but there was nothing. She tried to listen but all was quiet. Lucy sighed headed for her room to get her bag – she had a bad feeling about the whole case but no matter what happened she was not going to leave her friends alone…even if one of them was always trying to start a fight…or try to scare her with "Mister Picklehead" also known as the ghost in the jar. Lucy smiled to herself – the name "Mister Picklehead" was her own invention and was the result of an afternoon spent reading in the library in the presence of a grinning ghostly face in a jar, staring at her and making creepy faces. In the end she had gotten so fed up that she had thrown her book and gone looking for the cover for the jar while cursing the stupid creeper.  
"Let's see how you are going to bother me now Picklehead!" she had said smugly when she had tried to cover him. She wasn't sure if he had really heard her or read her lips but the face of complete insult that he had made made her laugh for hours. After that accident the name had stuck. Her colleagues of course had no idea why she always smiled when she saw the jar, but Lucy didn't want to share her joke with them for the time being. It felt like it belonged to her only, a harmless secret that made her day better and always got her to smile when she needed it …of course the look of distrust that the ghostly face often gave her also helped.

Mr. Berking's house was located in the outskirts of London and looked like something taken out of a cheap horror movie made by a crazy painter. It was old and scary in a very cheesy way – a big half brick half wooden building with big windows that desperately needed a wash and a ridiculously big chimney that seemed so out of place on the incredibly steep roof. The true colors of the paint had long faded with time but they still indicated that they did not match well with one another. The front porch squeaked as the three agents walked towards the door.  
"Ok, really?" George did not seem to be very impressed. "What's next? A rain storm with a lot of lightning? Maybe a shadow behind the window for a more dramatic entrance?"  
Lockwood just chuckled and opened the door which surprisingly did not make a sound as it opened.  
"We should enter and set up, the sun will set soon." He said as he walked with confidence inside, followed by George and a very nervous Lucy, who felt someone watching her – the feeling that something was weird had grown stronger in the last few hours.  
They set up their equipment in the kitchen where everything felt calm and the temperature was not indicating the presence of an evil presence or the possible arrival of such, unlike the creepy feeling that they felt oozing from one of the rooms they had passed by on their way.  
"Do you ever notice that the kitchen is usually the place where rarely any ghost reside?" asked Lucy while preparing their traditional cup of tea before the hunt.  
"Well, Lucy, that's probably because people rarely get killed in here." supposed Lockwood as he pulled out a few salt bombs from the bag to inspect.  
"Somehow I doubt that…"remarked Lucy.  
"Well I certainly can tell you that I have so far never heard of a husband getting shot while doing the dishes so my theory does have its reality backup." They all laughed at that and then sat down to drink their tea.  
"So Mr. Berking inherited this house, huh…"started Lockwood looking at the old ceiling "No wonder he wants to sell it as fast as possible – this place is a wreck and is going to need a lot more that some fresh paint to look at least presentable let alone safe enough to live in."  
"He said that his old aunt used to live here until she died last week of a heart attack. I can't imagine living here alone." George said as he took a cookie from the plate.  
"Do you think it's her spirit haunting the house? I mean Mr. Berking said he only spent two hours in here before he freaked out and left. I mean – what if he is only imagining things?" asked Lucy hoping she was right and at the same time knowing she was only lying to herself.  
"What about that room we passed by? The one with the green door? It didn't feel right. I felt a chill coming from there, which I don't feel in here." George was right and Lucy knew it…which did not mean that she was happy – that is…George being right yet again…and the uneasy feeling of course.  
They got ready and the night began. They searched the whole house where they didn't find anything except old objects and a neglected library which in their opinion was a serious crime…Everything was however quiet and the rooms were warm and filled with dust instead of Visitors.  
"No dropping temperatures so far." announced George.  
"Well I guess it's time to go to that room with the green door because so far I have not felt nor seen anything. Lucy?"  
Lucy closed her eyes one more time and tried to concentrate but there was nothing to hear. She shook her head and prepared herself mentally for what awaited them in that room.  
The door was old and green. There was a strange chill coming from it and a rather uncomfortable presence lingered in the air which wasn't present in the other rooms.  
''How is it possible if there is a ghost in there to only remain inside without affecting the rest of the house?" wondered George after he announced the low temperature.  
"Iron" came Lockwood's reply as he studied the door.  
"What?"  
"Iron – the frame is made of iron – it seems that it is keeping the Visitor inside."  
"Like…a ghost prison?" Lucy was shocked.  
"Apparently this aunt knew a lot more about ghost than we thought. Mr. Berking said she was a collector what if she bought something with a ghost attached to it and the when she found out – decided to keep it." Lockwood seemed thrilled as he spoke, that fire of excitement that scared and agitated Lucy at the same time, burned fiercely in his eyes. "Let's find out if I am right!"  
Before Lucy or George could say anything Lockwood opened the door with one swift movement and was met by a deafening silence. Lucy ears felt like they were stuffed with cotton but she felt how the presence in the room stilled itself as if it was waiting to see what these three disturbers of its peace will do. Lockwood scanned the view looking for a trace of the ghost.  
"Its in here. As is the Source!" he announced and turned his perfect smile towards his team.  
"DUCK!" screamed George and pulled both of his colleagueson the ground as a small but heavy coffee table flew over their heads.  
"I'm gonna take a wild guess over here and suppose that our ghost is a poltergeist?" said Lucy whose ears had been freed from the vacuum feeling and were now filled with the screaming of a ghost gone wild. "And he is not happy!"  
"No kidding!" said George as he dodged a flying vase. "And we are not even I the room!"  
"We should find the Source and seal it!"screamed Lockwood as he frantically looked around the room, now filled with flying objects.  
All of a sudden his eyes set on a small music box not far from the door, which was still standing on the small cupboard where it was left.  
""The SOURCE!" Lockwood yelled and pointed at it.  
Lucy nodded and got ready to cover Lockwood so he could seal it while George was securing the door to remain open…

"Its done!" announced a little out of breath Lockwood as he looked at the sealed music box.  
Lucy nearly fell on the floor with relief, she had tried to shield her boss from the flying objects as best she could and almost got herself hit twice with a very heavy picture frame.  
"I am so not getting paid enough for this…"she thought jokingly as she gazed at a spot above her head where she saw a peace of wood sticking out of the wall. "How did I not get hit by that? It was going straight at me?" she wondered but then just dismissed it as something to wonder about after.  
"Wait. There is still something missing." panted George as he staggered towards the Source to look at it. "If this poltergeist was locked up in here then how did Mr. Berking notice the menacing presence he described feeling in the corridor and during the day – it doesn't make any sense."  
"Well maybe he just lied to us" said Lockwood lost in thought.  
Lucy felt it more that saw it – the form of an old woman appearing slowly out of nowhere behind Lockwood. Her white hear hung in front of her face concealing it but she heard clearly her heavy and cold voice as she said "my house". Her pale greenish hand with long dirty nails reached out to touch Lockwood. Lucy knew what to do long before George screamed his friend to turn around. She pulled out her rapier and flung herself towards the apparition. She tried to strike but before she could do it the ghost moved fast and found itself right before her, Lockwood and George were thrown backwards and away from them. Lucy saw as if in slow motion how the dead hand touched her hand right as she was making a move to cut through it. All of a sudden the ghost flew away from her as if it was being dragged by the neck. Before she could realize what was happening Lockwood was already in front of her ready to attack the ghost and George was by her side trying to get her out. Lucy felt a sharp pain in the head and then everything went black.

"Oh, my head!" murmured Lucy as she regained conscience.  
She noted that she was in a white room…no, not just a white room – a hospital white room. Her head felt heavy and pulsed with pain.  
"Lucy, how are you feeling?" Lockwood's voice reached her and she tried to sit up so she could see him. "No, no. Don't get up! We'll come to you."  
Both he and George sat down on her bed looking at her with worried eyes.  
"This is going to sound like a cliché in situations like these but – What happened?" – she asked as she touched her forehead.  
"Well you got hit by a vase on the head." said George then gave her a half smile. "That ghost had a better aim than the poltergeist which I personally find very ironic."  
"That ghost…where did it come from?" Lucy cringed at the memory of the Visitor.  
"Well. It seems our client was lying about some things." began Lockwood as he stared out the window next to her bed. "His aunt apparently was obsessed with ghosts and as I guessed she bought the haunted music box and kept it by making her own ghost prison. What Mr. Berking neglected to mention was that one night she got too curious and went to see the ghost and…well she got herself killed. They found her body in that room the next morning and that is where our client felt this "menacing presence" he spoke of. Her Source was a small picture of her long dead puddle we found right after you got knocked out. We sealed it and everything was set right."  
"Mr. Berking is currently being questioned by DEPRAC about withholding vital information from us." added George who also seemed to find the view through the window very interesting.  
"But that is not so important!" Lockwood met her eyes this time and leaned forward to study her which made Lucy feel a little nervous. "How are you feeling, Luce?"  
"Ok I guess apart from the head but I am sure it will stop hurting so much soon." She responded unable to pull her gaze away from his searching eyes.  
"Mhmh. I mean about the Ghost – touch."  
"I was touched?" Lucy's eyes grew wide as images from last night came rushing back to her – the greenish hand touching hers and then the Visitor being thrown away.  
"No. The doctors found no traces but I know I saw her touch you!" Lockwood was now even more close to her face, staring at her as if he expected the answer to pop up on her forehead.  
"She didn't, she missed." She lied without knowing why, it felt like this was something that concerned her and only her.  
Lockwood pulled away but his face showed he didn't believe her but that was prepared to let it go for now.  
"When she…tried to touch me, she flew all of a sudden backwards. Did you see it?" Lucy still remembered how she almost felt the ghost's shock, like it hadn't expected such a thing to happen.  
Lockwood and George nodded but gave no answer – as it turned out, they also had no idea what had happened then.  
"Well after we have determined that no one know anything, when can I go home? " asked Lucy in a cheerful voice hoping it was soon.

Two hours later Lucy was lying in her own bed…well Lockwood's old childhood bed…back at their place. It was already night, obviously she had spent the whole day at the hospital unconscious. Her friends had also gone to bed and the house was all quiet. She couldn't sleep, she felt rather well rested and the thoughts were running wild in her head. What had happened? How could she not have gotten ghost- touched? Why did the ghost fly way from her?  
"Nothing makes sense!" she said in frustration.  
"Well, maybe I can clear a few things up, I mean – I was the one that dragged that old hag away from you." said a familiar female voice.  
Lucy's eyes grew as wide as dinner plates as she saw the form of Annie Ward appear sitting casually at the end of her bed. She opened her mouth to speak but no sound came from there.  
"It was the least I could do after you freed me and allowed me to avenge myself" she smiled warmly at her, her voice so different from before – sweet and somehow arrogant and playful at the same time.  
"I did not expect this…" was all Lucy managed to say before she fainted…it was a stressful day after all, who could blame her…


	2. This is so not real!

**Hey, so I managed finally to write the chapter and I hope you like it. To my reviewers - thank you so much, your comments made my day and thanks for the advice Nemaides - the spacing really does make it easier to read. :)**  
**Before I start - I own nothing and all rights go to Jonathan Stroud.**

Lucy was dreaming – it was a strange dream, filled with ghosts, old ladies and many flying objects. Annie Ward was there too – she was smiling like she knew something the rest of the world didn't, which frankly annoyed Lucy greatly.

And then Lockwood appeared and asked her if she wanted tea, he had that grin upon his face that made her heart skip sometimes, but she would never admit that to anyone…or herself even. Then everything went black and Lucy woke up. It was still dark outside therefore she needed a few minutes for her eyes to focus in the dark room. Her mind was racing, trying desperately to remember all of yesterday's events.

"Annie Ward!" she said out load as if it would help her explain what she saw before she fainted.

"Stiiiiill here" answered a voice in a very bored tone from one of the corners of the room.

Lucy's head turned so fast towards the source that her neck cracked in protest.

"Oh dear! You are not going to faint again, are you?" Annie looked up from the magazine she was reading and faced the girl.

"How…what…hoooow?" Lucy desperately was trying to form a sentence but alas, the words just would not come.

"Oh, I am so sorry, completely forgot my manners!" Annie jumped from the chair she was sitting on and walked towards the bed with her hand outstretched, ready for a handshake. Lucy made a sad sound and tried to run away from her and get to her rapier, which she had left next to the door. "Oh, please don't' do that!I won't hurt you, I swear!"

Annie took a few steps backwards with her hands in front of her as if she was trying to protect herself. Meanwhile Lucy had reached her weapon and was approaching the ghost slowly.

"Alright! Enough of this! Explain yourself – you have 5 minutes." said Lucy in a dangerously calm voice as she cornered Annie like she was some sort of an animal.

"Is this really necessary?" the Visitor looked insulted and with an annoyed huff walked towards the blade, letting it go straight through her like she was made of air.

"How is that even possible?" exclaimed Lucy as she jumped back with her eyes wide and slightly panicked.

"First – lower that thing! You'll hurt yourself if you are not careful. Now as I was saying before the whole interruption – my manners dictate that one must always introduce oneself when meeting a stranger. So let us start again." Annie smiled and stretched her arm again for a handshake. "My name is Annie Ward, I am a ghost who came back from the light in order to thank you for everything you have done and to apologize for almost killing you and your boyfriend. When you are a vengeful ghost you can get easily carried away with your anger, I might have completely lost myself in it for which I am terribly sorry."

Lucy stared at her with a blank face, then her eyes fell to the ghostly hand and her eyebrows shot up in a sarcastic manner.

"I am not touching you."

"I am not dangerous anymore you know. As you saw – your weapon doesn't work on me." Annie was grinning now.

"What do you mean you came back?" Lucy changed the subject, her body still tense and ready to run.

"Well once I got my revenge on that weasel, my dear murderer, I felt free, the haze of anger and cold were gone and I felt the connection to my necklace break – unleashing me and allowing me to move on. I saw a light, so bright and beautiful and I knew that I should walk towards it, I knew it was going to bring me finally peace…but then I stopped"

"Why?" Lucy was puzzled, wasn't that what every ghost wants – to find peace.

"It didn't feel right somehow. It wasn't meaningful."

"Huh? Did you want a parade or something?" Lucy rolled her eyes, this whole situation was absurd and she was tired, why couldn't this stupid ghost move on like a normal Visitor?

"No." Annie crossed her arms and raised her chin in defense. "I was talking about my life…even though now that you mention it, a parade would have been nice, maybe a few angels sinning, a dancing elephant …back to the story, sorry about that. My life was nothing but a big fiasco, I didn't really achieve anything and after spending so much time in your presence I realized what people that matter to society do, people who make a difference in this world and leave a trace behind them that glows in the dark like a.. "

"Oh get on with it!"

"Well…I thought about it on my way to the light and decided that I need to do something that matters, so I came back to you to offer my services as you sidekick!" Annie's face had the look of a child on Christmas day, after seeing the pile of presents under the tree.

Lucy started to laugh so hard that she doubled over.

"You are kidding right?" Lucy saw all of a sudden how serious Annie's expression was. She sobered pretty quickly after that. "Please tell me you are kidding!"

"Nope." Lucy moaned and started pacing around the room, purposely avoiding any contact with the Visitor.

"This is so not happening! How did you even come up with the idea that you can help? No, don't answer that! I already got the point! But you obviously haven't! You can't help so just leave and rest in peace…literally!"

"Will you stop pacing! You are making me nervous! " Annie said and slapped Lucy's shoulder, her hand going straight through the girl.

Lucy stopped dead in her tracks and looked panicked at her shoulder before starting to pull her arm out of her nightgown to see the damage…that was nowhere to be seen. Her skin looked healthy and as the wave of fear settled down a bit she realized that she didn't feel any different.

She looked at Annie in wonder and stretched her hand to touch her. The ghost felt a little bit cold and had the consistency of smoke – it was weird, but not unpleasant or ghost – touchy.

She looked up and met Annie's eyes.

"See, I told you I can't hurt you."

"But how?"

"I think it is because I am free, no Source or whatever you called my necklace – I feel calm and rather normal. I can even lift some not very heavy objects like that magazine and outside I went through few people and they were alright, slightly confused but definitely not on the verge of dying."

"You can walk free?" Lucy was amazed.

"Yes! And it daylight too! I can retain my form at any time but I feel a little weak during the day. Listen – just give me a chance! I promise I can help, I can help with cases, because I can't get killed obviously and maybe I can talk to the ghosts and well…we'll see what I can do but just give me a chance!Pleeeeease!"

Annie looked at the girl with pleading puppy eyes, hoping the old trick would work.

"Listen! There are still a few hours until dawn and I want to get some sleep before I can properly deal with this. So I am going to bed now and if you are still here tomorrow we will talk about this then, when my head is clear. Just make sure Lockwood and George don't see you because they will freak out."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that – I can choose who gets to see me. Might have flipped out a few people on the street when I first found that out but for now only you can see me."

"Greeeeeat. I am going to bed, good night." Lucy laid down and closed her eyes.

All of a sudden she opened them, startled, like she had just realized something that had been escaping her notice so far.

"What boyfriend?"

"Excuse me?" Annie looked confused.

"Earlier when you apologized for almost killing me and then mentioned a boyfriend…I don't have one."

"Oh! Soooo that tall guy in the long coat with the…"

"He's my boss!" Lucy's answer came a little too quickly and she felt her face going completely red in the darkness.

"Hmmm alright then, if you say so." Annie smirked, but Lucy turned away from her and buried her face into her pillow hoping that her heated skin and awkward feelings would soon go away.


	3. New client, new problems

_**Please DO NOT BE MAD! I know it took me almost a year to post a new chapter, but I had almost no time and at one point the inspiration for the story was almost dead. Luckily I finally found some inspiration and you can thank American Horror Story for it. **_  
_**Hope you enjoy the chapter :)**_  
_**All rights go to J. Stroud.**_

The next morning as Lucy was walking down the stairs towards the kitchen, she couldn't help but feel slightly annoyed with the whole situation. She had woken up to a blonde ghost staring her only a few inches away from her own face. It had taken her a lot of self-control not to scream load enough to wake the hounds of Hell. Annie hadn't seemed very disturbed from the situation and chatted with Lucy about fashion and other subjects Lucy couldn't care less about. Lucy had been putting her new grey skirt on when she had heard Annie taking suddenly a huge gulp of air, which she didn't really need, and make a very shocked face.

"What?" Lucy had gone in alert mode.  
"Oh honey! That skirt with that blouse?...Surely you must jest!" Annie had taken an over dramatic pose with her hand covering her mouth.  
"What, what's wrong with them?" Lucy had glanced with uncertainty at her attire and had felt like she had done something horrible.  
"The colors! Terrible! And don't let me start with the design!" …

Lucy finally reached the kitchen and shook her head after she caught herself yet again glancing at her clothes and feeling a little sad they weren't more…well, interesting…NO! There is no way she was going to allow the words of some silly dead actress affect her pride.  
Lockwood and George were already sitting at the table as she arrived.

"Morning!" said Lucy as she went straight for the kettle to pour herself some tea.  
"Well good morning to you too, Luce!"  
Lockwood seemed to be in a very cheerful mood which made Lucy kind of nervous. Probably because every time that happened it was because he had managed to find a very dangerous case or had an idea which Lucy didn't like. Last time he was so cheerful, Lockwood had decided it was time to spring clean the whole basement…even though it was October and neither Lucy nor George had found it amusing when they were appointed to clean the room with the ghost artifacts. Now that she thought about it, Lucy was even more convinced that Mister Picklehead, who at the time was placed there, was staring at her way too intensely…that creep.

George murmured something which was supposed to pass as a greeting before dedicating his attention, yet again, to the newspaper he was reading. Lucy was about to say something snappy about his attitude when she saw Annie walk in...well, it was more like hovering to be quite frank, but those were minor details. The big picture here was that Lucy still had no idea what to make of her. She glanced at her colleagues but neither one of them showed any indication that they had noticed the ghost's presence. Lucy opened her mouth to say something when Lockwood suddenly got up and cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. Lucy shut her mouth and swallowed hard in an attempt to calm herself. Annie was definitely something she wanted off her chest, but at the same time she felt as if this was a secret she should keep hidden for now. Lockwood's voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

"So! I have a big announcement to make!" he was grinning at this point so much that Lucy started to wonder if his jaw would survive the stretching.  
George closed the newspaper and looked at his friend, his features calm, but beneath the surface Lucy could feel he was on guard. Maybe he already had an idea what the "big announcement" was and was not a very big fan of it.

"Today I got a call from a certain Mr. Womberloop, who, after hearing about our wonderful work so far, decided to hire us."  
"No." George's answer was quick and swift like a rapier in the hands of a skilled agent.  
"He will come to speak to us about his problem in about four hours. So be ready!"  
"No." said George again and glared at their leader.  
"Oh come on George! Don't be like that" Lockwood's voice had suddenly lost its excitement and now sounded like a disappointed child, Lucy had no idea how to react to the whole situation.  
"I said no! This man is insane! More insane than...then…well, then insane!" George had begun to gesture frantically with his hands.  
"This is an opportunity of a lifetime!"  
"Yeah, as was the Screaming staircase- case and that nearly got us killed, and need I remind you that we were way to desperate at the time to think or act straight!"  
"Hold it! Hold it!" Lucy yelled "What is going on? Who is this Mr. Womberloop and what does he want with us."  
"You show 'em, girl!" Lucy stared for a second at Annie, who had her fist in the air as if she was supporting a political campaign, then returned her gaze to her friends.  
"Well, thank you for asking." Lockwood smiled winningly "He happens to be the new owner of Circus Moonlight."  
Lucy nearly chocked. She knew the name – who didn't? Even Annie's eyes went wide.  
"You mean that circus from the 18th century? The one with the clown who went mad all those years ago and in a single night murdered all the performers before disappearing without a trace in the near woods? That place has been abandoned since then and forgotten! Not even DEPRAC wants to go near it! What kind of lunatic would buy such a thing? "  
"THAAAANK YOU!" said George "That's what I've been saying for the last hour since the phone call. "  
"Mr. Womberloop has bought the land and everything that was left from the circus. He only wants to talk to us – let's give him a chance. Come on." Lockwood looked genuinely excited. "Besides, this case sounds way to promising to pass. I know about the reputation of the place, but I firmly believe that we can manage."  
"Fine" George sighed, it wasn't as if there was much choice – they couldn't afford to say no to a big case out of fear, it was very bad for their image as an agency , which as of recent had been taking some serious blows from their competition Fittes – mostly thanks to Quill Kipps and his team of "trained monkeys"(as George sometimes called them).

When George and Lockwood left the kitchen Lucy looked at Annie's face. She didn't know what exactly she wanted to see written there, but a little bit of sympathy sounded good. After all it is always nice to know that in a crazy situation there is at least one person, who is just as sane as you are…even if this person is a ghost…of an ex – actress…who was rather hot-headed…and even slightly insane herself…oh forget it…this was definitely not the beginning of a lovely adventure.  
"What?" Annie asked puzzled when Lucy sighed and turned her back to her.

Mr. Womberloop looked like the type of person who had a lot of money, but wasn't quite sure how he felt about it. His coat looked very expensive, but his hat resembled something one would buy at a market for cheap costumes. His shoes were shiny and must have cost him a small fortune, but the old cheap cotton shirt he wore didn't do anything to flatter his appearance. All in all the impression Mr. Womberloop made as he walked through the door that same afternoon, was of someone who had once heard the word "fashion", had shown inability to understand what that meant and had walked out of the shop with a very expensive clown costume and a pair of weird cowboy boots….in pink. Lucy felt grateful then that Annie was already dead, because the choking sound the ghost made, when she looked at the man, sounded suspiciously like a dying chicken.  
"OH THE HORROR!" Annie's shocked face of a fashion lover was highly entertaining for Lucy to watch. "OH THE HUMANITY! WHY?...JUST – WHY?"  
In the meantime Lockwood, who had managed to compose his inner sense of good taste, shook the visitors hand and showed him in.

After several more minutes had passed and everyone was seated with a hot cup of tea in front of them, Mr. Womberloop began.

"Well…isn't this lovely!" his voice sounded like a hot spoon in butter. " A fine looking place you got here."  
"Ahm, thank you…" Lucy wasn't sure how she should react.

"Well, let's get down to business." Lockwood nodded and the man began – "As I already said on the phone – I bought recently the old circus Moonlight, or at least what is left of it. I plan to rebuilt it as a tourist attraction, but I seem to have a wee bit of trouble achieving that."  
"No kidding…" Annie was floating next to Lucy and was not very amused by the whole situation.  
"I assume you are vaguely familiar with the story." The visitor waited for the agents to nod and continued. "It used to be a very popular place back in its time, you know. Performers from around the world would go there, hopping to be hired. As did one Mr. Franto, or that is what he called himself. No one knew where he came from – some say that he came from the US, others claimed that he came from the continent. His accent was strange and often changed as he spoke – they say that he sounded American, English, German, French and Italian at the same time. It doesn't matter really – point is he worked at the place as a clown for 5 years before he went coo - coo and butchered one night his colleagues in their sleep. Afterwards he disappeared into the wood next to the circus and was never seen again. "

"Yes, yes – and now the whole place is packed with the spirits of the victims, who started acting out as the Problem began, we know… "  
"George! Don't be rude!" Lockwood scolded him.  
"No, no, it's quite alright – I'll get to the main issue. And it is that the ghosts, currently residing at the premises."  
"Then what is?" Lucy felt a chill go down her spine – she was sure the following information was not going to please her.  
"The woods are, miss."  
All went quiet for a split second before Annie took a deep and very unnecessary breath and murmured "oh boy!" under her nose. Of course only Lucy heard her, which also helped her compose herself first and speak.  
"What do you mean? I know the clown went there after the deed, but until now there is no indication that there is something there as far as I know. Everybody believes the murderer escaped." Lucy looked at George and Lockwood, seeking confirmation.  
"Yes, well…up until now there weren't." Mr. Womberloop agreed. "However two of my workers said they had heard whispers coming from there and one of the workers children swears that he saw the shape of a strange man, standing at the edge of the trees. Then three days ago the temperature there dropped from cold to very cold all of a sudden…and that was during the day."  
"Wait. You have workers there? And you let them bring their children?" Lucy looked shocked.  
"We began restoring some of the tents, but we only work during the day and we always have a child or two at hand to keep watch over the spirits there."  
"This guy is a very high level of crazy." Annie shook her head, her whole body swaying in rhythm in midair.

"What is it that you want with us, Mr. Womberloop?" Lockwood, who had quietly listened up until then to every spoken word, asked the question that made both Lucy and George nervous.  
"I would like to hire you three to do two thing for me, Mr. Lockwood. First I would be very happy if you were kind enough to get rid of those poor spirits haunting my property and second – I want those woods secured."  
"And what makes you think we can do it." George finally spoke.  
"What can I say – the case with the Screaming staircase has made you very famous and gives the impression that you know how to handle very dangerous situations." The visitor smiled, his teeth showing and giving him a very naïve look – like a dummy, who knew nothing of life, because he had never had to deal with it.  
"Fair enough." Lockwood smiled back much to George's dismay. "Because the case seems more dangerous than what we normally face – we'll need a day to prepare and tomorrow we shall come to see this new property of yours."  
Lockwood and their new client shook hands, who then left shortly afterwards. George started arguing with their leader, but Lucy knew it was pointless. No matter how dangerous it was and even if they weren't desperate for the job – they were not going to say no to it at the end, because it was their job.  
Annie also wasn't happy as she sat on the coach next to the girl.  
"I hope you have life insurance…" she said.


End file.
